Fort Hays State University - Reveille Yearbook (Hays, KS)

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What ' s in a name? A lot of history . . . by Connie Nelson What ' s in a name? To Fort Hays State, name changes occurring within the past 75 years have indicated the growth and an increasing awareness that there is an institution in western Kansas worthy of legally being awarded university ' 5 status. From early beginnings as the Western Branch of the State Normal School at Emporia, the institution has under- gone four name changes: Fort Hays Kansas Normal School, 1913: Kansas State Teachers College of Hays, 1923: Fort Hays Kansas State College: and most recently, Fort Hays State University, 1977. Fort Hays State today is the result of a past destiny. The destiny of the past is the heritage of the present, shaped by circumstances, environment, and the collective will of stu- dents, faculty, staff, alumni, administration and countless other, reads Fort Hays State: Its Destiny. 1 4 Fort Hays Slate History

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Homecoming 1976 was not unlike any other Homecoming at Fort Hays State. There were reunions, a parade, a football game and mums. In some ways, however, it was different — than last year, at least. The football team revived the losing tradition that had been broken by their 1975 predecessor, and as an anti-climax to the Bicentennial, the parade carried the theme Celebrate 767 ' Custer Hall’s giant beer stein won the $100 sweep- stakes award in the float competition. At the Oct, 1 5 concert, Neil Sedaka was the featured celeb- rity, and for those who sought a different form of musical entertainment. Fort Hays State Players presented A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum ' on Oct. 1 6. Homecoming — whatever its significance — keeps alumni coming back to renew old friendships, to watch the growth of their alma mater and to recall the past while enjoying the present. Homecoming WELCOME BACK

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ft was not an easy road from Western Branch to Univer- sity. The circumstances which led eventually to the 1902 founding of the college extended over a period of more than 30 years. A bill granting the abandonment of old Fort Hays, located south of the present school site, supported the establishment of a Western Branch of the Kansas State Nor- mal School (Emporia), and was first introduced in December, 1899, when the 56th Congress convened. Three months later, President William McKinley approved the bill. Legislation enacted in 1901 gave the Board of Regents of the Kansas State Normal School, the responsibility of pre- scribing the course of study, not extending over more than two years; conditions of admission and other regulations needed to operate the program successfully; provided that the course of study included only the coursework which pre- pared students for advanced academic work offered at the State Normal School. 1 | g 4 1 . First football team organized in fall of 1902. 2 . Fort Hays 5 3 6 Normal building at the Goiden Belt Fairgrounds. 3. Miss Anna Keller was one of the first three teachers at the Western Branch of the State Normal School when it opened. 4. Hays, Main Street in the early years of the school. 5, The first day of school, June 23. 1 902. The school opened in a building at the site of old Fort Hays, 6, The original classes were held in buildings left on the fort from the Indian war days, ! Fort Hays State History 1 5